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Senior EOIR Removal Defense Paralegal / Team Lead
Full-Time | Remote | U.S. Immigration Law Firm
We are seeking an experienced EOIR Removal Defense Paralegal for a role that combines substantive casework with team leadership and department administration.
The Team Lead will oversee a team of approximately three Removal Defense Paralegals while maintaining a limited personal caseload of approximately 5–15 EOIR matters.
The limited personal caseload is intentional. Most of the Team Lead's time will be dedicated to managing and supporting the paralegal team, monitoring the department's overall caseload, managing deadlines and workflows, reviewing work, conducting case audits, maintaining department organization, and ensuring cases continue progressing appropriately.
This position requires someone with strong hands-on EOIR removal defense experience who understands the work well enough to manage others, identify problems, maintain quality standards, and step in when additional case support is needed.
Primary Responsibilities
Team Leadership & Supervision
The Team Lead will oversee a team of approximately three Removal Defense Paralegals.
Responsibilities include:
Assigning and monitoring work
Managing team workloads and case distribution
Reviewing upcoming hearings and deadlines with the team
Conducting regular case and task audits
Identifying overdue or incomplete work
Following up with team members to ensure assignments are completed
Reviewing work for completeness and quality before attorney review when appropriate
Training and supporting paralegals
Answering procedural and workflow questions
Helping team members prioritize competing deadlines
Ensuring firm procedures, SOPs, and checklists are followed
Holding team members accountable for deadlines and assigned responsibilities
Identifying recurring performance or workflow problems
Escalating significant issues to attorneys or management
Redistributing work when a team member is overloaded or unavailable
Stepping into urgent matters when additional senior-level assistance is required
Maintaining a culture of ownership, accountability, and proactive case management
The Team Lead should have visibility into what is happening across the team's caseload and should proactively identify problems rather than relying solely on individual paralegals to raise them.
Personal EOIR Caseload
The Team Lead will maintain a limited personal caseload of approximately 5–15 EOIR matters.
The caseload may include:
Master Calendar Hearing matters
Individual/Merits Hearing preparation
Defensive asylum, withholding of removal, and CAT
Cancellation of Removal
Adjustment of Status before EOIR
Detained removal proceedings
Bond and custody matters
VAWA-related removal defense matters
Motions to Reopen and Reconsider
Motions to Change Venue
Motions to Continue
Motions to Substitute or Withdraw Counsel
Prosecutorial Discretion requests
BIA-related matters
Other EOIR motions and applications
Responsibilities may include preparing forms, motions, declarations, exhibits, indexes, supporting documentation, and court filing packages for attorney review.
The Team Lead may also be expected to assist with emergency filings, unexpected staffing gaps, complex or time-sensitive matters, and other situations where additional senior-level support is needed.
The personal caseload will intentionally remain smaller than that of the other paralegals because team management and department administration will comprise a significant portion of this position.
EOIR Department Administration
The Team Lead will be responsible for helping manage the day-to-day administration and organization of the Removal Defense Department.
Responsibilities include:
Maintaining oversight of the department's overall EOIR caseload
Maintaining and auditing the master EOIR hearing and deadline calendar
Tracking Master Calendar Hearings, Individual Hearings, bond hearings, filing deadlines, attorney appearances, and other critical dates
Establishing internal preparation deadlines well in advance of court deadlines
Monitoring ECAS and EOIR case information for hearing changes, court orders, scheduling updates, and other developments
Ensuring court notices, IJ orders, DHS filings, and other correspondence are properly saved and routed
Monitoring attorney calendars for hearing conflicts and potential coverage needs
Maintaining appropriate oversight of detained and other urgent cases
Tracking motions, applications, exhibits, briefs, biometrics, filing fees, supporting evidence, and other outstanding requirements
Ensuring Proofs of Service and filing confirmations are properly maintained
Overseeing the opening, assignment, transfer, reassignment, and closing of EOIR matters
Ensuring newly retained EOIR cases are properly onboarded and assigned
Coordinating case handoffs between attorneys, paralegals, intake, case management, and other departments
Maintaining department templates, checklists, SOPs, filing procedures, and workflows
Identifying administrative bottlenecks and recommending solutions
Ensuring cases do not remain inactive because a task has not been assigned, completed, or followed up on
Deadline & Case Progression Management
A major responsibility of the Team Lead will be ensuring cases across the department continue moving forward.
The Team Lead should regularly be able to determine:
What hearings are approaching?
What applications or filings are due?
What needs to be completed in the next 30, 60, and 90 days?
Which Individual Hearings require preparation to begin?
Which cases have not progressed recently?
Which cases are missing documents or evidence?
Which cases are waiting on client action?
Which clients require additional follow-up?
Which team members have overdue work?
Which attorneys require upcoming case preparation?
Which detained matters require immediate attention?
Which matters are at risk of becoming emergencies?
What is the next required action on each case?
The goal is to operate proactively and identify problems before they become urgent.
Attorney Support & Hearing Preparation
The Team Lead will help ensure attorneys are appropriately prepared for upcoming hearings.
Responsibilities include:
Monitoring upcoming attorney hearing schedules
Ensuring cases are prepared sufficiently in advance
Coordinating exhibit preparation and filing
Ensuring declarations and supporting evidence are obtained timely
Identifying missing evidence before attorney preparation begins
Preparing case summaries and procedural histories when appropriate
Ensuring significant client communications are documented
Helping address escalated client concerns
Ensuring hearing and appointment reminders are provided
Identifying communication breakdowns before they affect case preparation
Escalating client complaints or urgent issues appropriately
The Team Lead must understand the distinction between providing procedural information and legal advice and know when questions must be referred to an attorney.
Case Management & Data Accuracy
The Team Lead will help ensure Lawmatics, Docketwise, Microsoft 365, and other firm systems accurately reflect what is happening across the Removal Defense Department.
Responsibilities include:
Ensuring case statuses are current
Ensuring hearing dates and deadlines are entered correctly
Ensuring tasks have appropriate owners and due dates
Monitoring overdue tasks
Ensuring case notes are complete
Ensuring important documents and notices are properly saved
Identifying files with incomplete or inaccurate information
Ensuring completed matters are properly closed
Maintaining consistent documentation and case-management practices across the team
Reporting & KPIs
The Team Lead will assist management in monitoring the performance and overall health of the Removal Defense Department.
This may include tracking and reporting on:
Upcoming hearings
Upcoming filing deadlines
Overdue tasks
Detained cases
Cases requiring attorney attention
Cases awaiting client documents
Cases that are not progressing
Individual paralegal workloads
Task completion
Deadline compliance
Case audit results
Client follow-up
Filing accuracy
Department productivity
The Team Lead should be comfortable using reports and data to identify problems and areas requiring additional attention.
Systems & Technology
Candidates must be comfortable working in a fully remote, technology-driven environment.
Experience with the following is preferred:
Docketwise
Microsoft 365
Adobe/PDF document preparation
ECAS
EOIR Automated Case Information
USCIS online systems
Strong general technology skills and the ability to quickly learn new systems are required.
Required Qualifications
Candidates must have:
Prior U.S. immigration paralegal experience Substantial EOIR/removal defense experience Strong knowledge of EOIR procedures and terminology Experience preparing immigration court filings Experience managing court deadlines and hearing calendars Experience supporting attorneys in removal proceedings Strong written and spoken English Excellent attention to detail Strong administrative and organizational abilities Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously Ability to prioritize detained and urgent matters Ability to work independently in a remote environment Ability to supervise, train, and support other team members Ability to hold team members accountable in a professional manner Strong client-service skills Strong problem-solving skills Ability to recognize problems and escalate them appropriately
Strongly Preferred Experience
Preference will be given to candidates with experience involving:
Detained removal defense
Bond proceedings
Defensive asylum
Cancellation of Removal
Adjustment before EOIR
VAWA-related removal matters
BIA appeals
Motions to Reopen
Individual Hearing preparation
Exhibit and evidence preparation
High-volume EOIR caseloads
Team supervision or coordination
Department administration
Spanish proficiency is a plus but is not required.
Who We Are Looking For
The right candidate is an experienced EOIR paralegal who can successfully balance their own limited caseload with responsibility for the organization and performance of the larger team.
You should be someone who can look across the department and immediately begin asking:
What is due?
What is missing?
What is overdue?
Who is responsible for it?
What does the attorney need?
What are we waiting on from the client?
Which cases are not progressing?
Does anyone on the team need assistance?
What could become a problem if we do not address it now?
We are looking for someone who is:
Proactive
Highly organized
Deadline-driven
Accountable
Comfortable holding others accountable
Calm under pressure
Detail-oriented
Resourceful
Comfortable managing competing priorities
Able to lead while remaining hands-on
Capable of identifying problems before they become emergencies
Work Schedule & Availability
This is a full-time remote position supporting a U.S.-based immigration law firm.
The standard coverage schedule is 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time, with two 30-minute breaks during the workday.
We offer flexibility in how the latter portion of the workday is structured.
The Team Lead may generally log out from regular active work at 3:00 PM Eastern Time, provided that their responsibilities for the day are appropriately managed. From 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time, the Team Lead must remain reasonably available and responsive if needed for team support, urgent case matters, attorney requests, deadline issues, or other time-sensitive department needs.
The expectation is:
Regular working hours begin at 7:00 AM Eastern Time
Two 30-minute breaks are provided during the workday
Regular active work may generally conclude at 3:00 PM Eastern Time
The Team Lead must remain reachable and available for team or urgent department needs until 5:00 PM Eastern Time
Occasional flexibility may be required when urgent EOIR matters, hearings, filings, or team issues arise
The Team Lead is expected to manage their schedule responsibly so that personal casework, team-management responsibilities, and department administrative duties are completed timely
The purpose of the extended availability window is to ensure that the three paralegals being supervised and the attorneys they support have access to the Team Lead when an issue arises later in the business day.
Remote Work Requirements
The employee must have:
Reliable high-speed internet
Reliable computer equipment
A professional and quiet workspace
Ability to participate in video meetings
Excellent remote communication habits
Ability to work and remain available during the required Eastern Time schedule
How to Apply
Please submit your resume together with a brief explanation of your EOIR/removal defense experience.
Your application should specifically answer:
How many years of U.S. immigration experience do you have?
How many years of EOIR/removal defense experience do you have?
What types of EOIR cases have you personally handled?
Have you worked on detained cases?
Have you prepared cases for Individual Hearings?
Have you prepared EOIR motions and exhibit filings?
Have you supervised, trained, or coordinated the work of other immigration paralegals?
Have you been responsible for managing a department calendar or auditing caseloads?
Which immigration and case-management systems have you used?
Are you able to work the required Eastern Time schedule?
What is your expected monthly compensation?
Candidates without meaningful EOIR/removal defense experience may not be considered.